The Church Of Satan Movie Marketing

When Rosemary’s Baby was about to be released in 1968, LaVey, besides playing the part of the Devil, attended advanced screenings set up by the studio’s publicity department to elicit his observations as various religious groups previewed the film. It was, after all, a metaphorical as well as a very real offshoot of LaVey and the Church of Satan. (LaVey has said Rosemary’s Baby “did for the Church of Satan what The Birth of a Nation did for the Ku Klux Klan, complete with recruiting posters in the lobby.”) Taking advantage of the High Priest’s high visibility, small black buttons were passed out at the screenings which said, “Pray for Anton LaVey,” a variant on the “Pray for Rosemary’s Baby” buttons also being handed out as a promotional item. LaVey remembered the audience’s reaction to the ending of the film, when it clearly showed the Satanists had no intention of hurting the child, as everyone expected, but glorified it as the son of Satan. “People got very angry—stomping their feet and showing general disapproval. Sometimes the reality of Satanism is a lot more terrifying to people than their safe fantasies of what it’s supposed to be. For the first time, they’ve been confronted with a Devil that talks back.”

The Church of Satan describes its structural basis as a cabal that is “an underground cell system of individuals who share the basis of [our] philosophy”.[3] Membership in the Church of Satan is available on two levels: registered membership and active membership. Registered members are those who choose to affiliate on a formal level by filling out the required information and sending a one-time registration fee. Active membership is available for those who wish to take a more active role in the organization and is subject to the completion of a more comprehensive application.[4] The church provides wedding, funeral, and baptismal services to members. Such ceremonies are performed by a member of the church’s priesthood.

The Church maintains a purist approach to Satanism as expounded by LaVey,[5] rejecting the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists.[6][7] Scholars agree that there is no reliably documented case of Satanic continuity prior to the founding of the Church of Satan.[8] It was the first organized church in modern times to be devoted to the figure of Satan,[5] and according to Faxneld and Petersen, the Church represented “the first public, highly visible, and long-lasting organization which propounded a coherent satanic discourse”.[9]

In 1956, LaVey purchased a Victorian house in the Richmond District of San Francisco, which he painted black.[27]During the late 1950s, LaVey hosted Friday night lectures on occult subjects at his house. The process of writing his lectures lead him to distill his philosophy based on his earlier research into topics considered bizarre and arcane, and experiences as a psychic investigator and hypnotist, as well as work in the carnivals.[28] He gradually gathered regular visitors who became known as the “Magic Circle”.[29] During this time, LaVey also held “witches workshops”, classes to instruct women on the art of seduction and manipulation through glamour and feminine wiles.[30] According to sociologist and early group affiliate, Randall Alfred, these “workshops” included “various aspects of Satanism” and were part of the Friday night lectures.[31] Though actual numbers are unknown, it has been suggested that the group comprised around twenty people. Accounts suggest that the “circle” included authors, artists, doctors, policemen, and academics among other professions.[29]

In the mid-60’s, prior to the publishing of The Satanic Bible, LaVey’s writings were disseminated among his circle in the form of a series of papers known as the “rainbow sheets”, an assortment of essays describing the philosophy, presented as “an introduction to Satanism”. These essays were later featured in The Book of Lucifer. In addition was a paper describing magic and containing instructions for the practice or ritual.[35][36]

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